Patsy's Italian Family Cookbook (19 page)

DRESSING

½ cup fresh lemon juice

8 garlic cloves, minced

⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 celery ribs, cut into ½-inch dice

½ cup coarsely chopped pitted kalamata olives

½ cup chopped fresh basil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Four 6-ounce skinless striped bass fillets

1.
To make the dressing: Whisk the lemon juice and garlic together in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Add the celery, olives, and basil, and whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside for 30 minutes to 2 hours to blend the flavors.

2.
Pour enough water into a large deep skillet to come 1 inch up the sides and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the fillets and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the fish is barely opaque when pierced in the thickest part with the tip of a knife, 8 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spatula, carefully transfer the fillets to a large platter.

3.
Whisk the sauce again and pour over the fish. Tilt the platter so the dressing collects in a pool, and baste it over the fish several times. Refrigerate the platter until the fish has cooled, at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. Serve cool or chilled.

“Sal makes the best meatballs in New York … they taste like my mother made them”

—Frankie Valli

Striped Bass with Eggplant and Olives

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Eggplant is a big part of Southern Italian cooking, and we use it in a lot of recipes. Striped bass has a meaty quality and firm texture that allows it to stand up to the eggplant and other bold flavors here.

2 small globe eggplants (about 1 pound each), peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

8 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 large beefsteak tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch dice

½ cup sliced pitted kalamata olives

⅓ cup chopped fresh basil

½ cup water, plus more as needed

Four 6-ounce skinless striped bass fillets

¼ cup dry white wine

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Toss the eggplant with 6 tablespoons of the oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Spread the eggplant in a single layer. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is tender, about 20 minutes.

2.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, olives, basil, and water and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook at a steady simmer until the tomatoes have given off their juices, about 4 minutes.

3.
Add the fillets and pour the wine over them. Cover the skillet and simmer, adding a few tablespoons of water if the tomato sauce gets too thick, until the fish is barely opaque when flaked with the tip of a knife in its thickest part, about 8 minutes. During the last 2 minutes, scatter the eggplant over the fish and cover to reheat it.

4.
Transfer each fillet to a plate and spoon the eggplant mixture next to each one. Serve hot.

Trio of Striped Bass, Salmon, and Tilapia

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Sometimes a customer can’t decide between the different fish dishes on the menu, so we offer them this trio of bass with tomato sauce, salmon with mustard sauce, and tilapia with pesto. Because the sauces are made ahead, and the fish can be cooked together, it really isn’t a difficult dish to pull off. And it just happens to feature the colors of the Italian flag.

PESTO

2 cups packed cups fresh basil leaves

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 tablespoons pine nuts

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for storage

Salt

1 pound each skinless striped bass, salmon, and tilapia fillets, cut into 4 equal portions

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Sweet paprika, for sprinkling

1 cup
Tomato Sauce
, heated

1 cup
Mustard Sauce

1.
To make the pesto: Pulse the basil, cheese, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor until the basil is finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the oil through the feed tube. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to a bowl. Pour a thin film of oil over the surface of the pesto to prevent discoloring and cover tightly. Whisk well before using.

2.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.

3.
Arrange the striped bass, salmon, and tilapia in a single layer (or overlapping slightly) in a large flame proof baking dish and dot with the butter. Pour the lemon juice and ⅓ cup water over and around the fish and sprinkle with the paprika.

4.
Bake until the fish looks opaque when flaked in the thickest part with the tip of a knife, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the baking dish with the fish from the oven.

5.
Position the broiler rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the broiler on high.

6.
Top each striped bass fillet with about ¼ cup of the tomato sauce. Top each salmon fillet with ¼ cup of the mustard sauce. Top each tilapia fillet with ¼ cup of the pesto. Broil until the sauces are hot and tinged golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer one piece each of the striped bass, salmon, and tilapia fillet per serving to a dinner plate. Serve hot.

Oven-Roasted Branzino with Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Branzino (which is really the Northern Italian name for European sea bass) is a mild, flaky fish that is especially tasty when it is roasted at high heat. I’ve never seen branzino filleted, and it seems to always be cooked on the bone. You only get two smallish fillets from each fish, so plan to have a couple of side dishes to go alongside. If you are nervous about deboning the fish at the table, even though I’ve given detailed instructions, go ahead and do it in the privacy of the kitchen.